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Scarce Resources in the Age of the Waterbed Geoffrey H. Fletcher, Deputy Executive Director State Educational Technology Directors Association [email protected] www.setda.org
Scarce Resources in the Age of the Waterbed
Geoffrey H. Fletcher, Deputy Executive Director State Educational Technology Directors Association [email protected] www.setda.org
State Educational Technology Directors Association
Ten-year old national, non-profit member association
Serve, support, and represent all 50+ state directors (SEA leadership) for educational technology
Forum for:
Research and best practices
Inter-state collaboration
Professional development
Public-private partnerships
State-federal relations
The Age of the Waterbed
The Shift from Print to Digital
Why Digital Resources?
1. Up-to-date information
2. Multimedia and interactivity
3. Customization
4. Adaptability
5. Student annotations
6. Availability
7. Potential cost savings
8. Increasing competition among providers
9. Open education resources
10. Addressing health issues
11. Emerging resources
Digital Content Challenges and Opportunities
Common Core State Standards
Vast array of resources
But…
Lack of organization of digital content
Vetting of content
Access to technology
Innovations in Student Assessment
• All SOL tests
developed with
online as primary
delivery mode by
2012-2013
• To include some
innovative items
in addition to
multiple-choice
• Innovative items
to be primarily
computer- scored
The Shift in Assessment Opportunities and Challenges
Clickers and digital formative assessment = immediate feedback
Next generation summative assessments online in 2014
But…
Are teachers ready?
Access to technology
The Shift in Professional Learning
Growth of online learning
Access to a wealth of resources
Access to other educators - Online Communities of Practice
But…
Cost
Access to technology
The linchpin - Technology
Growing ubiquity of technology
New devices
More bandwidth (still not enough)
But…
Scarce resources
Some general ideas…
Flexibility is important
Review what is there now
Incent innovation
Do not skimp on the linchpin - technology
A few specifics:
Set a date for transition
Multi-state development
Incent digital professional development
Provide incentives for teachers
Include teacher preparation programs
Questions?
Geoffrey H. Fletcher, Deputy Executive Director State Educational Technology Directors Association [email protected] www.setda.org
